Much improved Cobblers still no match for Splendid City.

 

Northampton Town were almost unrecognisable from the rag tag army that took on Lincoln City at the Sixfields stadium a few weeks ago where they conspired to get booed off by their own supporters after an abject performance that suggested a long hard winter ahead.

Cobblers started off in some style justifying City fans fears that three points was far from a foregone conclusion but thoughts that they couldn’t necessarily keep up their searing pace began to be justified as City refused to bend to Northampton’s will and eventually clawed their way to another three points.

City are unbeaten in six now and show no signs of being unable to maintain their grip on the top spots as maybe some pundits were expecting but the next few games will show if the Imps are the real deal.

Maybe they will, maybe they won’t but theses are exactly the sort of games that have to be put to bed if promotion is to be achieved and City showed their appetite for the fray is undiminished as they leave the Christmas programme behind and the nights draw out.

Cobblers were perhaps still shell shocked from the battering they received before Christmas and they certainly showed there is more to their game than the kick and rush tactics they employed last time out. I said at the time, as did several Imps fans, that I refused to condemn them for their approach to the game the last occasion the teams met but it has to be admitted, as was often said of the Imps that they were good at what they did. That was usually a very backhanded complement but the fact remains that City often prospered from their pared back tactics and it was no use complaining when teams were beaten by City’s version of the game. That was then though and Northampton’s version was nowhere good enough to live with City and the new improved even thoughtful approach wasn’t either.

Michael Appleton made some changes to personnel and tactics for this game. Did they work? Well three points says they did and when all said and done that is all that matters.

Will they stay the course? All you can say is we are about at the halfway point and City are joint top. Whether they can stay there may be clearer this time next week but whatever happens the Imps are in some exalted company and I would not imagine some of the rivals round about us and particularly their fans will be particularly enamoured to be rubbing shoulders with us.

Those of us of rather less tender years will remember that this is not the first time City have looked out at the prospect of second tier football. It didn’t happen for us last time but I don’t recall City being anything like as ready to make another leap forward under the great Colin Murphy with the club almost in a state of civil war and the hierarchy unwilling or unable to make the necessary investment to make progress happen. In these unprecedented times City are a model of harmony compared to those now distant times and whilst it would be a seismic shock to the league one football fraternity not to mention our own supporters, I certainly wouldn’t bet against us.